


A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms

by AugustStories



Series: Game of Thrones Season 8 Oneshots [1]
Category: A Song of Ice and Fire - George R. R. Martin, Game of Thrones (TV)
Genre: Episode s08e02 A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, Game of Thrones Spoilers, Mentions of other characters - Freeform, Season/Series 08 Spoilers, Spoilers, Spoilers for Episode s08e02 A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, episode tie in, if you've not seen "A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms" don't read this, once more for the ignorant ones: SPOILERS
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-22
Updated: 2019-04-22
Packaged: 2020-01-24 05:06:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,940
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18564526
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AugustStories/pseuds/AugustStories
Summary: One more time: Don't read this if you haven't watched the second episode.Jaime knows what he has to do.Hewould want it.Hewould tell him to do the right thing.There was only one right thing to do now.





	A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms

**Author's Note:**

> Last warning: We're all big people here, don't read this if you haven't watched the second episode of season 8.
> 
> Just been spinning around my mind since watching the episode and I am always fond of bringing some book canon into show canon.

"Fuck tradition!"

 

Jaime looked over to Tormund focused on Brienne, looked at the ever hidden hurt in Brienne's eyes and his ears echoed with the scathing disapproval certain long gone white brothers had for the ignorance of all of non-Dornish Westeros.

 

_'My sister would have knocked half of the kingdom onto their asses in her sleep,' Lewyn used to tell them in late hours in the White Sword tower, wet stones on swords, wine on the table, "We teach boys and girls to fight in Dorne, the girls especially. Not a safe space for them anywhere, they need to know how to protect themselves, there can't always be a knight around." Arthur would nod and smile and rub over the small scar on his hand that Jaime had learned to have come from Ashara playing dirty with a dagger in their childhood._

 

Brienne looked over to Podrick and Jaime wasn't sure if he got it all right but there was a mentor looking at her squire, maybe for the first time realizing that she wouldn't be able to make him a knight.

 

"I'm no king," Tormund went on and Jaime turned back to the wine, "but if I were, I'd knight you ten times over."

 

And maybe it was jealousy, maybe it was just the long long overdue epiphany that should have hit him ages ago but Jaime just knew what he had to do then.

 

"You don't need a king," he began, still looking down at the wine cup in his hand, "Any knight can make another knight," and he turned back towards the group, turned back to look at Brienne but in his head he was standing in the muddy field in the Kingswood. In his mind he was a boy of fifteen, panting with a burning chest, a hand pressed against his rips, the other clutching his sword in a deathgrip, his eyes watching this miracle of a man in white wipe his sword off on the outlaw leader he had just killed.

 

He watched how Ser Arthur, the Sword of the Morning, the Kingsguard, this legend who was only a few years older than him, how this greatest of all great Knights turned around and caught his eyes.

 

_'Jaime Lannister, isn't that right?' Arthur Dayne called over to him, Dawn pointed in his direction and Jaime nodded because he was too shocked that the Kingsguard actually knew his name. All around them the others were still too busy checking over dead outlaws and rescued highborns and smallfolk, only Ser Barristan Selmy briefly glanced over to them when Arthur walked over to Jaime. 'You held your own against the Smiling Knight. A remarkable deed for a boy your age, you have great skills, Jaime. And even greater courage and bravery.'_

 

_'Thank you,' Jaime stuttered and tried to find some strength to straighten up again, his father would have his hide if he got wind of Jaime slouching in front of Kingsguards, the Crown Prince's best friend no less. Lord Crakehall was watching them now, his wounds being prodded by the other Dornish Kingsguard, Prince Lewyn Martell. Ser Arthur smiled, nothing on him looked as if he had just fought against a deranged outlaw king, not a drop of blood on his white cloak and no sweat or dirt on his face._

 

_'Kneel, Jaime.'_

 

_And the battlefield turned dead silent._

 

Just like the room had right now while he held Brienne's look for a moment before he quickly turned around and set the cup back on the table.

 

"I'll prove it," he said and then walked over to the free space in the room, drawing his sword he set his eyes on the ground, he saw dark stone and he saw trampled muddy grass, he saw Widow's Bane and he saw Dawn, he saw dark armor and he saw a white cloak. "Kneel, Lady Brienne," he used the same tone that Arthur had used a lifetime ago, and he looked back to Brienne still starring at him, confusion and something else on her face.

 

Then she turned her eyes away and closed them for a brief moment, the longing was clear on her face, as was the doubt over deserving the gesture.

 

Jaime certainly knew how that felt.

 

A smile, a pained one, slipped over her lips and Jaime couldn't stand the sight of it.

 

"You want to be a knight or not?" He had to go digging, Arthur hadn't needed that back then, Jaime had dropped to his knees like puppet with strings cut, too easy, too willing to obey orders. Brienne was different and he should have known it would take some convincing and pushing to get her to do this one thing now.

 

She glanced over to him again, eyes filled with that overbearing longing, doubt and hesitation getting smaller. He inclined his head to her, tried to make himself smaller, instinctively channeling that move that Arthur and Rhaegar had used so often to make people realize they were just men as well, no legends, no heroes, just men. "Kneel."

 

Brienne looked to Podrick and Jaime followed that move, saw how the boy nodded, saw how the boy was begging her with his eyes to do this one thing for herself, to be selfish, to be accepting of this gift for once in her life, the others remained blissfully silent. Brienne's face turned even more vulnerable and she immediately turned back to Jaime who nodded as well, expectantly, pleading, hoping.

 

'Let me do this,' he wanted to tell her, 'let me do this for you, after everything you've done for me, this is finally something I can do for you. Let me give to you what a brother once gave me.'

 

Brienne got up, slowly, leaning down to set her cup back on the chair, Jaime's heart was pounding and it felt like his sword might slip from a suddenly sweaty palm any second now, this had for sure as all seven hells not been how Arthur had felt. Arthur hadn't known what nervous meant as long as Dawn was in his hands, Jaime had to get a grip on himself.

 

Make him proud, make them all proud.

 

Brienne stood straight and they looked at each other for a long long moment before she began to walk forward.

 

_Jaime dropped to his knees and stared up at lilac eyes, at a gentle smile on a serious face as Ser Arthur Dayne took two more steps forward and then drew Dawn from the scabbard on his back._

 

He didn't care what the others were doing, he was only focused on Brienne walking towards him before she was standing maybe two steps in front of him, never having stopped the locked eye line with him. She wasn't nervous, she was so calm, and Jaime found strength in it.

 

_Dawn glimmered white and silver in the sunlight._

 

Widow's Bane glimmered golden and silver in the distant light of the fire.

 

Brienne knelt and looked up at him, trust and faith in those blue eyes. Waiting.

 

_Jaime's hands were shaking, his sword long dropped into the mud, staring up as Ser Arthur raised his steady hands, white cloak so bright in the sunlight._

 

Jaime fumbled with his fingers on the sword hilt for a moment, needed to be secure, needed to calm himself before he raised the sword, Brienne's gaze dropped to the ground.

 

_'In the name of the Warrior,' Dawn touched his shoulder in a heavy drop and Jaime stopped breathing, 'I charge you to be brave.' Arthur's voice seemed to echo over the entire battlefield._

 

"In the name of the Warrior," Jaime's voice was calm and quiet, a sharp contrast to the racing of his heart as his sword touched Brienne's right shoulder, "I charge you to be brave."

 

_'In the name of the Father,' Dawn moved to his left shoulder and two figures in white appeared on either of Arthur's sides, 'I charge you to be just.'_

 

"In the name of the Father," Jaime continued and moved the sword over to the left shoulder, his voice shaking for just a brief slip when his eyes let him see two figures in white appearing behind Brienne and then one on her right and one on her left, "I charge you to be just."

 

_'In the name of the Mother,' Dawn moved back to the right and as the momentary blinding in his eyes from Dawn catching the sun went away, Jaime saw Ser Barristan making room for the Lord Commander coming to stand at Arthur's left shoulder. 'I charge you to defend the innocent.'_

 

"In the name of the Mother," Jaime went on, his heart getting so still when his mind let him see two more figures with billowing white cloaks, Gerold on his right, Arthur on his left, the latter with a hand raised and placed on Jaime's shoulder. "I charge you to defend the innocent."

 

_Dawn got moved away and Jaime's breath shuddered out of his burning chest, his heart pounding against his aching rips without mercy._

 

Jaime had never been calmer, happier, more fulfilled or proud in his life than in this moment as he dropped Widow's Bane off of Brienne's shoulder and saw six ghosts in white draw their swords and raise them over Brienne in a silent blessing.

 

_'Arise, Jaime Lannister, a Knight of the Seven Kingdoms.'_

 

"Arise, Brienne of Tarth, a Knight of the Seven Kingdoms."

 

And for the first time since Ned Stark had found him sitting on the Iron Throne with the Mad King's blood on his sword, Jaime was no longer the Kingslayer. For the first time in twenty years, Jaime stood tall again, stood proud and strong, proud in the eyes of people he trusted, who trusted him. He stood tall and confident in the teary eyed gaze of Brienne as she slowly got to her feet, looking at him and only seeing him.

 

Jaime saw the world around her, saw and heard the loud cheering and clapping of the other living people in the room as he sheathed his sword again. He saw the proud and content faces of the Kingsguard still surrounding them, could feel the ghost touch of Arthur squeezing his shoulder.

 

'You did me proud, Jaime.'

 

"Ser Brienne of Tarth," Tyrion called out and raised his cup, Brienne and Jaime turned towards them, still surrounded by Jaime's ghostly brothers who echoed his living brother's next words, "A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms."

 

Brienne looked at him again, so happy, so grateful, still believing in him, and Jaime nodded to her again before he walked back over to get his wine. When he took a sip and glanced back over to her again while she just for a moment let herself have that small celebration, he saw her standing there among his white brothers, could almost imagine a white cloak around her shoulders as well.

 

She would have fit with them, would have done them proud.

 

He felt some kind of hope blossoming in his chest then for the battle to come, felt like that boy of fifteen again who had become the only one who had ever been knighted by the great Arthur Dayne. That boy with a great future, with endless possibilities and dreams. He felt like that kid again who had been strong, who had wanted to fight for the good ones, who had wanted to do good and protect those who were good.

 

No more Ser Jaime, the Kingslayer. No more Ser Jaime, the Kingsguard of Mad Kings and Queens.

 

Just Ser Jaime, Knight.

 

A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms.

 


End file.
